Most Automotive Marketers Use Social media

9 in 10 Automotive Marketers Use Social Media

Ninety-three percent of marketers use social media to market their businesses, according to a new survey from SocialMedia Examiner. Data from “2011 Social Media Marketing Report” also indicates a significant 90% of marketers said that social media is important to their businesses.

Half of Social Network Marketers Have Less than 1 Year of Automotive Social Media Marketing Experience

About half of marketers engaging in social networking (49%) have less than one year of social media marketing experience. Another 39% have been using it for one to three years, with 11% having more than three years of experience and only 2% having no experience (figures total more than 100% due to rounding).

In addition, study data indicates more B2B companies have been using social media longer (52.6% reported one year or more) than their B2C counterparts (46.2% indicated 1 year or longer). In 2010, only 31% of marketers were using social media for one or more years. Now that number has grown 61% to 50%.

6 in 10 Marketers Use Social Media 6-plus Hrs Weekly

A significant 58% of marketers are using social media for six hours or more each week, and 34% for 11 or more hours weekly. It’s also interesting to note that 15% of marketers spend more than 20 hours each week on social media.

Furthermore, study data shows marketers with more years of social media experience spend more time each week conducting social media activities. For example, 63% of people with three or more years of experience spend more than 10 hours a week doing social media activities, making them 53% more likely than the 41% of marketers with one to three years of experience who spend that much time.

Younger Marketers Spend More Social Media Time

Perhaps not surprisingly, younger marketers tend to spend more time engaging in social media activities than their older peers. Marketers aged 20 to 29 years spend more time than other age groups using social media marketing (with 41% spending 11-plus hours weekly), followed by 30-to-39-year-olds (37% spending 11-plus hours per week).

Almost All Social Marketers Cite Exposure

A significant 88% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses. Improving traffic and subscribers was the second major benefit, with 72% reporting positive results.

In addition, nearly two-thirds (62%) of marketers indicated a rise in search engine rankings was a benefit of social media marketing. Slightly more than half of marketers (51%) found social media generated qualified leads.

Less than half (49%) said social media efforts reduced overall marketing expenses. However, SocialMedia Examiner predicts that as search engine rankings improve, so will business exposure and lead generation efforts, and overall marketing expenses will decrease. Improved sales were the least-cited benefit, with 43% of marketers attributing this result to their social media efforts.

Janrain: Social Sign-in Produces Benefits

Allowing online consumers to conduct social sign-in (SSI) for an e-commerce site rather than create a new user account can produce higher levels of spending and customer satisfaction, according to a recent survey from social user management platform provider Janrain and Blue Research. Data from “Importance of Identity Solutions” indicates that during the 2010 holiday season, 21% of those who consider social sign-in desirable (fans) expected to spend more than in 2009, compared to 16% of critics.

In addition, 64% of fans expected to spend more than $500 during the 2010 holiday season, compared to 61% of critics. Sixty-six percent of survey respondents were classified as fans and 34% as critics.

About the Data: In January 2011, SocialMedia Examiner posted a survey link on Twitter, which was reposted on other social media networks including Facebook and LinkedIn. SocialMedia Examiner also emailed a list of 50,000 marketers. After 10 days, the survey was closed with 3,342 participants.

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